(Bluefield)—Bluefield State College educator and administrator Dr. Tom Blevins was a featured presenter at recent “The President’s Future Leaders Academy,” at Southern West Virginia Community & Technical College. Blevins’ presentation focused on technology as it relates to the community and technical college system, then looked at trends in technology utilization in the coming decade.

Dr Blevins emphasized the characteristics of today’s and tomorrow’s student, noting the role of social media in their lives and their need for social interaction as a learning methodology.. Blevins also discussed current online learning resources for educators to assist them in teaching today’s student.

Blevins commented, “ Faculty today have a massive challenge in actually teaching students due to their culturally-engendered need to be entertained and the need for collaborative, cooperative learning practices within the modern classroom. The old stand and lecture days are long behind us.”

Blevins is Dean of the Virtual College, Technology and the School of Education; Professor of English/Education at BSC.